


i'm your density (i mean, your destiny)

by beamkatanachronicles



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Back to the Future References, Gen, Post-Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma, Road Trips, family... but make it found family, fuck ur sign whats ur gas station snack, sigma/diana is implied too but this is more abt phi lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29194485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beamkatanachronicles/pseuds/beamkatanachronicles
Summary: "I'm not blaming you, of course. Not your fault you're-- what's her name, Lorraine?"Sorta-sequel totwo and ten. Diana and Phi have a breakthrough en route to Crash Keys HQ. Sigma loses his Chex Mix privileges.
Relationships: Diana & Phi (Zero Escape), Sigma Klim & Phi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	i'm your density (i mean, your destiny)

"It's not exactly like _Back to the Future_ ," says Diana.

Only a strip of the woman's forehead is visible past the shelf. That crown of red hair, thinks Phi, blends hilariously well with the bag of spicy cheese puffs obscuring most of Diana's head. She looks away, screwing up her face and inspecting some overpriced salted cashews. "No, Akane was right. It is _exactly_ like _Back to the Future,_ and I hate it."

Diana's eyebrows bob into view as she rocks back and forth on her heels. "Well..."

"I'm not blaming you, of course," she amends quickly. Also, fuck these cashews, actually. Phi half-tosses them back onto the shelf a little ways away from their original location. "Not your fault you're-- what's her name, Lorraine?" She tries again, fingers crinkling the cellophane of some giant, too-sweet pastry. "Everybody makes--"

Diana, on her tiptoes, is peering at her over the rows of snacks: expression mildly uncomfortable, yet plaintive, nonetheless open.

Phi sets the cinnamon roll down. "Uh, choices. Although technically, _you_ -you never made that choice, which is, of course, the price of shifting between histories. But this? This is different."

Diana sinks back down, silent.

Phi rubs her chin. The fluorescent light flickers very slightly above both their heads. "I'm happy we have each other. Don't get me wrong. But... before, there was always a _better_ place within the histories that you could tease out. With things the way they are now, there's no way any of us could jump to something more-- ideal, I suppose you could say. And even if we could, what happens to us here-- in this history?"

There's a thoughtful hum across from her. Phi stares, absently, at a bag of chips.

"There's nothing left for me to do. It's like Fate's got me backed into a corner this time."

The sound of flats tapping on tile. Standing some paces away now, Diana sighs, pensive, lost in thought. And then the bell tied to the convenience store's door jangles noisily, as if punctuating the thought. Both of them raise their heads, watching a woman buy a pack of cigarettes and a lotto ticket up front. Distracted by the numbers the woman's rattling off, Phi doesn't spot Diana wheeling around to her side of the aisle, hands clasped to her chest.

"I know how you feel. I don't... really like it either."

Phi blinks. She casts a glance out the glass windows, to gas pump number 9-- to Sigma standing beside an SUV with both hands on his hips, watching the digital display on the gas terminal tick up dollars and gallons. "Huh."

Diana picks at a bit of lint on her sweater and her voice drops in volume to a mutter: barely audible over the faint, tinny music from the speakers overhead. "It's like, woohoo! Here's your happy ending! By the way, you missed your children's entire lives, and one of them killed 6 billion people." The woman at the front cracks some meaningless joke. Outside, Sigma is screwing the gas cap back onto the tank, then digging around his pockets for his wallet. "Am I supposed to just... accept that? Pretend it's all peachy-keen, because the three of us get to be together now?"

"Diana..."

The door jingles open again. Sigma's in the mini-fridge by the register, grabbing a can of Red Bull (eugh). He sets it and a bag of Chex Mix down on the counter and gestures to pump 9; a moment later, he's craned his neck over his shoulder to peer back at them. He raises a hand in mute greeting. Diana returns his wave, smiling; Phi glances at her, then meets Sigma's eyes, expression meaningful. His brows raise slightly before he turns away entirely.

"A-anyway, do you know where we're going? I hope we catch up to Akane soon."

Phi shrugs, because she doesn't. They turn away and go back to picking up and setting down items in deafening silence. By chance, the two of them look to Sigma again, avoiding each other; he's opening his wallet and tilting his head at them, saying something inaudible to the attendant. Their snacks are covered, it looks like.

"You don't have to accept it."

"Huh?"

God, it's awkward-- but, Phi decides, it's better not to leave it alone. She taps a foot, filling space and filling time; her hands sift idly through the rows of food. "Our pasts are immutable now. It's fucked up. I agree." Phi sheepishly presses a packet of gummy bears into Diana's hand. "But none of us have to be defined by it. Least of all you."

"So," Diana replies, "Are you telling me to live in the moment, or something?"

Phi shakes her head. "I guess. I don't know. I just want you to know you don't--" and there it is, the betrayal rising up from her heart; the barest hair-thin crack in her voice. "--you don't really owe me anything, Diana. If it's too much."

"What are you saying?"

"Like, I did get adopted." Her fingers trace the silver grooves in the brooch at her collar. _Elapsam semel occasionem..._ "So. Don't be anything you don't want to be."

"Oh, Phi..."  


"Hey," calls Sigma across the room, "do you guys want soda?"

"Jesus." Phi laughs, the tension now broken.  


Diana squeezes her hand: the pad of her thumb runs, reassuringly, over Phi's knuckles. "I love you, Phi. If I know one thing, it's that."  


God. Tearing up over some damn gummy bears. So stupid. 

\---

The last of the rest stop rolls away as they take the exit back onto the freeway. 15 miles along, Sigma throws the bag of Chex Mix at Phi underhand. She catches it handily and thanks him, unrolling the crumpled foil top and rummaging through it for those little brown bits.

"Wait a second." The rustling stops. "Sigma, did you eat all the fucking rye chips?"

"I picked _some_ of them out." Sigma shrugs and signals to change lanes. "There's no way it was all of them."

"Oh my God. It was, you bastard!" 

"They put so many in there! Just look harder."

"What did I say. I told you he was gonna do it, Diana." Phi leans forward, hovering like a hawk over the side of the passenger seat.

But Diana doesn't answer. She's doubled over entirely, red hair curtained about her bowed head, her shoulders quivering along with her laughter.

In spite of everything, Phi smiles.


End file.
